Great formation of head with great retention to support it, brownish amber color that is bright and clear. Big and flamboyant hop nose of pine resin, grapefruit zest, hemp seeds and a hint of dark tobacco. All of that barely lets the malt transmit anything to the aroma. Creamy, smooth, medium body. Whoa, momma, yes indeed there are some hops here, and what we mean by "some," is a lot. Sporting an Ameri-hop character throughout it starts with a big splash of bitterness and then moves more into flavoring with suggestions of evergreen, grapefruit rind, hemp oil and fresh cut grass. The malt backbone is pretty damn sturdy and while it may be shadowed by the hops, it mostly lays a blankets of caramel and toasted grain on the palate. A tad fruity with a clean, warming alcohol middle to end; quick flash of raisins and plums. Finishes a little bitter and leans toward dry.

A lovely holiday beer, very well balanced and straight, aimed at the style. The Christmas Goose may have met its match. (1,050 characters)

T-This beer tastes like...standing on the deck of a mountain house in New Hampshire during Christmas Week Wearing a winter hat, heavy peat coat and flannel lined cargos (red & black flannel lining) there's 3 feet of snow on ground and the pine trees are cloaked in snow.

M-Moderate

O-Not like other Winter Ales that pack a strong all spice/ginger. A decent beer. Something different at the holidays (492 characters)

The beer pours a reddish-amber color with a white head. The aroma is caramel and biscuit malt with a little bit of piney hops mixed in. A very nice aroma overall. The flavor is heavier on the hops than I expected. I get a lot of pine as well as some caramel malt. Low bitterness and very drinkable. Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation. A nice take on a winter warmer. (371 characters)

I do not know the lingo for these beers. But I do know that I generally enjoy anything Widmer Borthers release. The seasonal is hit or miss, and this is for a reason (that is, if they were as good as Drifter, then they would be offered year-round). "Brrr" had me excited; I was in the Christmas mood and their advertisements claimed that the beer had a "candy" taste. Now I do not believe advertising 97.3% of the time, but I did this time, due to company reputation.

Big mistake. This beer is repulsive to the taste. It looks good, smells good, and is strong at over 7% alcohol, but my god, it tastes horrible. I've never had it with a meal, a lemon or lime, but it disappoints every time and I will never try it again....unless I'm already drunk. (749 characters)

This beer poured a rich, amber colour with a foamy egg-shell head. The smell is of hops and citrus. The taste was sweet and malty right away, then turns to a clean-hop flavour, and follows with a very bitter aftertaste. Much like an IPA, but the bitterness is a bit much for me.

Would I buy it again? No. It wasn't that bad, but I probably will not buy it again. (393 characters)

These are a little hazy when served very cold but they brighten right up when they warm up. I let my current bottle sit out for 20 minutes or so and it pours brilliant ruby tinted dark amber under a 1” off-white foam cap with a slight tan tint. It leaves thick lace on the glass. The malt aromas recall fruit cake with caramel, light chocolate with a touch of sweetness leading to a bitter emphasis on the finish with some mild alcohol warming. Its creamy, medium full body and medium carbonation. (499 characters)

Malty aroma with slight hints of sweetness and dried fruit, figs and apple with quite a bit of hops shining through. I actually like the heavy hops since it gives the beer some structure to deal with the high alcohol level.

Flavors are not too complex, decent malts, not as sweet as I imagined and there is a pretty high level of bittering as the nose suggests. A tiny bit of astringent harshness in the back of the throat and not very complex.

The finish is not very exciting but not bad, the drinkability (sum of the parts) is a little higher than the various components would suggest on their own. It is keeping me warm during the cold so at least it has that thing going for it. (747 characters)

Brown and ruby colored liquid, light beige head, around 1" and had a decent amount of lace throughout the drinking experience. Aroma was brown malt, brown sugar, who's that? Brown. . . and a respectable degree of hops.

Taste, pleasantly surprised, this ain't no boring brown ale or winter warmer, it really melds a whole lot of different flavors leading to the conclusion that this is actually a decently complex offering at a great price (5.49/6pack). Plenty of malt flavor, plenty of adjunct sugar flavor, plenty of hop additions.

The waves of different beer flavors all in one makes this plenty enjoyable. A little of everything for the winter time. (656 characters)